New York Needs to Grow

Transit & Housing June 2026

New York Needs to Grow

Data and charts from NYCuriosity's look at NYC's new building era, transit expansion, construction costs, funding models, and the rezonings meant to tackle the affordability crisis.

$1.29 per minute of travel time saved — IBX, the MTA's best-scoring proposed line

82,000 homes projected from City of Yes — more than 13 prior rezonings combined

$3.7B per mile cost of Second Ave Subway Phase 1 (2023 dollars)

160,000 projected IBX weekday riders

Charts in this post

Bar Chart + Dot Plot

The Most Expensive Track on Earth

Subway construction cost per mile, NYC vs. world cities, PPP-adjusted: Second Ave Subway Phase 1 cost 8x Copenhagen's fully tunneled Cityringen.

11 projects · 7 countries Explore →

Stacked Bars + Donuts

How Transit Agencies Pay the Bills

Operating revenue mix for the MTA, Transport for London, and Hong Kong's MTR, fares cover 26% at the MTA, 57% at TfL, and ~150% of running costs at MTR.

3 agencies · FY2024-25 Explore →

Bar Chart + Waffle

City of Yes vs. Two Decades of Rezonings

The 82,000 homes projected from City of Yes against every major neighborhood rezoning since 2004, more than the 13 of them combined.

14 rezonings · 2004-2024 Explore →

Bar Chart + Bubble Scatter

Ranking the MTA's Expansion Wishlist

All 28 candidate projects from the MTA's 2023 Comparative Evaluation ranked by cost per minute of travel time saved, the IBX leads every proposed new line.

28 projects · 20-Year Needs Assessment Explore →